University of Florida

The University of Florida held another spectacular event this past Friday, November 5 at Flavet Field. The best part of it all is that it was free and open to the public. If you were to read the following lyrics, would you automatically guess who it’s by?

YES. You’ve guessed it; I won’t keep it my dirty my little secret (see what I did there). The Student Government Productions did it again and brought another great band this fall semester to our beautiful campus. One of the biggest rock bands of the 2000s, The All-American Rejects, were here at Gainesville and performed to hundreds of people. I was lucky enough to be in the crowd and interview a hardcore fan, too!

Stephanie Dhuman, 24, is a masters student here at UF, and she made sure to take time off of her busy schedule to go see her all-time favorite high school band perform. If you missed this experience, I’m sorry, but read the interview below that I had with Dhuman, so you could imagine how the concert was like based off of her experience.

Q. How did you hear about The All-American Rejects coming to UF?

A. I saw the event on Facebook and a few of my friends said they were interested in it, and I remembered how much I liked them in high school so I clicked the “interested” button.

Q. What was your favorite part of the concert?

A. When they played “Move Along” at the end because everyone was jumping and screaming. It was really cool to see everyone jamming out to a throwback together. There were hundreds of people there.

Q. Did you go alone or with friends? How was the interaction?

A. I went with one friend. We didn’t really talk to anyone else. Everyone seemed to be in their own world and in their own little groups, but it seemed that they were having fun all together.

Q. What were your emotions/feelings during the concert?

A. I had like all the feels from high school. Really reminiscent of the end of middle school and high school years, and it just brought me back to that moment. I didn’t think that was going to happen but it did.

Q. On a scale of 1 to All-American Rejects, how would you rate the concert and why?

A. All American Rejects! They were definitely in their moment and having a lot of fun up on that stage.

Q. Describe the concert in one word

A. I want to say high school, but that would be two words. Maybe, throwback. It was a lot of fun, but it was definitely a throwback of years ago.

Fans singing along to “Move Along” at Flavet Field. It was the penultimate song and everyone jumped up and down and waved their hands non-stop. Photo by: Carmen Arce

Fall semester may have started in August, but it wasn’t until September 22 that the actual fall season began. I have never truly experienced any of the four seasons because to Miamians, like myself, it’s summer year-round. However, as I walked to the bus stop, listening to Drake’s hit single, “Controlla,” I noticed something so unusual to me – different colored leaves!

Orange leaves, yellow leaves and red leaves were on the ground, but they weren’t the only things falling this fall semester at Gainesville. Although some of the songs mentioned below are upbeat in tempo and prepare you for the turn-up, several of them take you on a trip down memory lane.

Whether you’re looking for hits that are being listened to in the 352 to update your Spotify playlist, or you’re just curious about the emotional, heartache songs UF students are listening to, you definitely came to the right place. Check out the list below and see whether you find yourself listening to the same songs as several of your UF peers.

Starboy – The Weeknd

“He’s my favorite artist. It’s about him starting a new chapter in his life, and I started a new chapter in my life at college.” Jason Dhuman, 18, criminology

Gold – Kiiara

“It’s basically like the saying ‘if you love something set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If not, it was never meant to be.’ The song taught me to let go.” Claudia Fernandez, 21, psychology

Hardwired – Metallica

“It’s a return to form for them. I feel that it’s better than what modern rock has to offer.” – Said Giron, 20, chemistry

“It has a nice smooth rhythm that blends country style vocal with strong blues beats. It feels like a perfect blend of my background. Plus, the lyrics are about not taking crap from a guy, so I can relate.” – Khrysten Lopez, 21, nursing

Broccoli – D.R.A.M. (Feat. Lil Yachty)

“It’s a stupid song, but I catch myself saying ‘In the middle of the party b***h get off me’ when the song isn’t playing. I’m just trying to do me.” Matt Garcia, 20, biology

One Call Away – Charlie Puth

“It represents how I am with my friends or when I’m in a relationship. I will always be there. All you have to do is call. It means so much to me and it relaxes me.” – John Rivera, 21, computer science engineering

Fake Love – Drake

“My ex keeps trying to come back into my life, and he is a liar.” – Victoria Medina, 20, microbiology and cell science

Trouble – J. Cole

“It’s about relationships, a physical type of relationship, and it’s just a fun song to vibe to.” – Juan Zapata, 20, electrical engineering

For Free – DJ Khaled (Feat. Drake)

“The beat is catchy, the lyrics are catchy and it’s the turn-up song for my friend and me before we head out during the weekend. It reminds me of how great it is to be single sometimes.” Alessia Beck, 20, advertising

Fireworks at the end of Gator Growl. Photo was taken through Snapchat using its geotag. Photo by: Carmen Arce

As Homecoming Week came to an end, the major event that everyone awaited finally arrived: Gator Growl!

Held on Friday, October 14 at the Flavet Field, Gator Growl started promptly at 6:00 p.m.

Gator Growl is a rooted tradition at the University of Florida, and it has captivated the Gator Nation for over 90 years. It is a University of Florida tradition that marks the culmination of Homecoming Week, and the amount of student participation that goes into an event like this has given Gator Growl the right to call itself the largest student-run pep rally in the nation.

For nearly 40 years, world renowned artists have given their performance at Gator Growl. This year, Passion Pit; Timeflies; Maddie and Tae; and Waka Flocka Flame took the stage on Flavet Field.

The event started with American female country music duo composed of Madison Marlow and Taylor Dye, both of whom are singers, songwriters and guitarists. Because it was one of the first performances, there were not too many people present. However, these two young women had the audience, mainly females, singing along to their well-known hit “Girl in a Country Song.”

As the sun set, and the night got darker, more and more individuals arrived. No matter the direction you stood or stared, Flavet Field was filled with young, energetic individuals eating recently bought food from the food trucks and singing along with the performers.

By the time of the third performance, a lot of the people in the crowd were extremely hyped, especially when it was announced that Queens-bred, Atlanta-based rapper, Waka Flocka Flame, was up next.

The riotous rapper has undergone an artistic transformation since his 2010 debut of Flockaveli, and he continues to experiment with his sound, but always with the focus on growing as a rapper.

Flocka, who penned hits like “O Let’s Do It” and “No Hands,” had everyone in a #trance that evening. His high energy, which permeated through the field, is the sole reason he has earned the nickname “Turn Up God.”

Speaking of which, his EDM album Turn Up God will be released sometime this year, so for you Flocka fans, be on the lookout!

Like every other good thing in life, the show came to an end. However, it was an unforgettable evening. The loud booms and colorful flashes filled the air as fireworks exploded continuously. For a Friday evening on campus grounds, the individuals seemed very satisfied based on their body language, facial expressions and comments among each other. I wonder who will perform in our beautiful campus next year. Until next time, my fellow Gators!

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